CEO’s Update Bulletin October 2021.
This month I have 2 key updates for you:
1. Iain Clunie Community Co-ordinator for NE Scotland and the Highlands has left the organisation.
He no longer has any association with SMART Recovery and as such I am putting a succession plan in place to recruit someone new to the role. In the meantime our Community Co-ordinator for Central Scotland Kelly Doig together with Director of Operations Angie King are providing support and cover for Iain’s areas. Kelly will primarily support facilitators. Please contact Angie for any queries related to SMART infrastructure or training needs in your area and Tina Moran for any license queries or renewals. Email addresses to note: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The central office phone number is: 0330 053 6022.
2. A new programme for veterans in Scotland.
Due to a successful grant application to the Scottish Government Grass Roots fund we have been able to employ one of our veteran facilitators as a community co-ordinator for Scotland. Johnny Alison is now running 2-3 online veteran only meetings per week and face to face ones within 3 veteran residences (Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee). The first 12 months will see the development of the SMART Veterans Programme which will be trade marked in its own right and be commissioned in the same way as the main SMART Programme. It will have its own new training module, facilitator materials, enhanced ongoing support and training in factors such as PTSD and the effects it has on ex-military personnel living with addiction. There will be a pause on registering new/additional veterans meetings while we write the new materials required for the programme. A new Online Veteran Family and Friends meeting is also starting this month ran by Kelly Doig. Feedback and lessons learned from the initial pilot sites will inform development of the materials and it will also result in the creation of a new SMART Veteran pocket guide book. The programme will be launched in its own right early 2022. We will be bidding for 4 years of additional funding to continue and grow the programme across Scotland. Veterans can be referred to Johnny directly to access his meetings via [email protected]